In short: Magnificent!In full: Well done to Graham & all the Lakeland Trails team for creating a magnificent scenic marathon. After seeing the slide show of the course on the Lakeland Trails website, and having done the other Lakeland Trails runs I was itching to do the marathon challenge but had to pull out with a week to go due to injury & lack of training. The feedback from those who did the marathon has been extremely positive, everyone commenting on the glorious Lakeland scenery, and it was a pleasure for me to play the music to everyone relaxing after the run. Thanks again to the Lakeland Trails team! Pete Lashley (www.facebook.com/petelashleymusic)Date of review: July 11, 2011

In short: Only did the mini due to injury - got a taster - can't wait to do the full thing.In full: Fantastic views - great marshalling and signage. Great food, entertainment and race commentary - very personalised. Date of review: July 10, 2011

In short: Magnificent route, well marshalled, friendly atmosphere.In full: After having completed a couple of the Lakeland Trails events, I opted for their marathon (race) as my first at the distance. I was not disappointed! More of the same great terrain seen in other events, much more of it! Great climbs, and some "technical" descents - a mix between cross country and fell racing. Perfect.

The atmosphere at the start was relaxed and friendly, and the route was perfectly marked and marshalled (great encouragement from the marshals by the way).

Feed stations were stocked with Kendal Mint Cake and 3 different types of drinks; energy, isotonic, and plain old water. Given that the race details sheet indicated precisely what to expect regarding your own provisions (i.e. you should take some), the feed stations were perfectly adequate.

I felt that for some runners the race details sheet may have been a little conservative in its description of the underfoot conditions, which for those not used to fell running and/or Lakeland Trails' other events may have come as a surprise. Having said that, the map was available for quite some time before the race itself, and this is the Lake District!

Very much hope to do this one again next year. Book early and get the early bird discount.Date of review: July 9, 2011

In short: tough but enjoyableIn full: an excellent race on a glorious day which is considerably tougher than it seems.

I thought the whole event was well run from the registration on saturday to the post race refreshments. Good tech t shirt and medal,well marshalled plenty of water and energy drinks at the stops.

The hills were tougher than i thought and in the heat made the second half of the race a bit harder than i wanted it to be. The terrain was quite tricky at some points and it did feel like a fell race at some points. The hardest part i found was the descent down to the last water stop and the run alongside the lake shore towards the end when tired legs did not want to lift over the tree stumps and rocks!

The scenery was stunning and was well worth the drive from south wales to see.

Overall a race i would highly recommend to try as long as you put the training in over hilly and varied terrain.Date of review: July 8, 2011

In short: A proper toughie :)In full: I've done a few Lakeland Trail Races and with this one being the first marathon distance, it really was a gimmie. I was not to be disappointed. Brilliant atmosphere, fantastic marshalling and water stations and scenery i fail to find words for! How do you top this? Not sure you can :)Date of review: July 8, 2011

In short: Simply stunning race!In full: After having done a few of the Lakeland Trails races before this seemed like a logical progression and so it proved.The terrain was pretty much as expected although there was a bit more climb than the web site suggested but that is par for the course with these events!All the necessary information was on the web site if you read it and the overall organisation was excellent with very friendly and enthusiastic marshals on the course and at the end.There's no doubt it is a tough race but the views, the atmosphere and the satisfaction on finishing more than compensate for the difficultyDate of review: July 7, 2011

In short: This is a great off-road race, with glorious views and is a welcome addition to the marathon calendarIn full: A great off-road race, this, the first Lakeland Trails Marathon was a huge success in my book. It offered a bit of everything; from rocky paths, through forest trails to hilltop views of Coniston Water. The course was not overly tough in terms of hill profile as the climbs were undulating rather than short and steep, but underfoot conditions were very challenging. Some sections offered full on fell racing across grass and marsh land and I loved the river crossing as it was a chance to submerge in the water and cool off.I highly recommend this racer to all levels of runnerDate of review: July 7, 2011